Tas. 5985. 
ZAMIOCULCAS Loppiacssi1. 
Native of East Tropical Africa. 
Nat. Ord. Arowraz.—Tribe, ORoNTIEA. 
Genus Zamiocutcas, Decne. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, vol. xvii. p. 321. 
‘Zamocuicas Loddigesii ; foliis imparipinnatis, foliolis 6—8-jugis alternis 
elliptico v. obovato-lanceolatis acutis brevissime petiolulatis v. sessili- 
bus, nervis laxe reticulatis, petiolo tereti basi clavato infra foliola 
nodoso-incrassato, scapo perbrevi, spathe tubo subgloboso lamina 
cymbiformi dorso infra apicem cornuta. 
Zamiocutcas Loddigesii, Schott. Prodr. Syst. Aroid. p. 214; Decaisne in 
Bull. Soc. Bot. France, vol. xvii. p. 322. 
CaLapium zamizfolium, Loddiges’ Bot. Cabinet, t. 1408. 
Decaisne has well remarked of this most curious genus, in 
a letter addressed to the President of the Botanical Society 
of France, that it is not only singular in the family of plants 
to which it belon gs, but in the whole class of Monocotyledons, 
in having a genuine pinnated leaf, with articulated caducous 
leaflets, as in various Dicotyledons. To this peculiarity may 
be added the singular clavate form of the base of the petiole, and 
the thickened false articulation, like that of a Maratha frond, 
about halfway between the lowest pinnule and base of the 
petiole. M. Decaisne describes the flowers in the lower half of 
the spadix as female and of the upper as male; in the plant I 
d both stamens and pistils throughout the spadix, but the 
stamens appear perfect only on the lower half and the pistils on 
the upper ; furthermore, whilst the pistils of the lower half 
_ are flaggon-shaped, with a short style, and a basal anatropous 
9 campylotropous ovule in each cell, those m the upper 
having oblong ovaries, with sessile stigmas, sunk below 
€ tips of the perianth-segments (hence concealed), and 
AUGUsT Ist, 1872. 
